Gross Intimidation in Philippines: Daily Brief

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and his associates are misguided if they believe that gross intimidation tactics can derail moves toward “drug war” accountability by the International Criminal Court and the United Nations. HRW has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Homeland Security for its failure to respond adequately to a Freedom of Information request about human rights abuses by border agents. Asylum seekers have been bullied and misrepresented, according to heavily redacted records that HRW has received thus far. On Wednesday, a court in Ecuador will rule on the case of indigenous leader and activist Agustín Wachapá, for allegedly inciting violence through a Facebook post. A new HRW report documents judicial harassment of Amazonian defenders such as Wachapá. New research by HRW details five cases of Turkish activists, journalists, medical doctors and human rights defenders who face terrorism charges over social media posts criticizing the Turkish military operation in Afrin. Are words finally turning into action on South Sudan? Vietnam should drop all charges against the pro-democracy activist Nguyen Viet Dung and release him immediately. The police arrested him in September 2017 and charged him with conducting 'propaganda against the state'. Last week, a 14-year-old girl in Paraguay died during childbirth. She became pregnant after she was raped by a 37-year-old man, and she died while doctors performed an emergency cesarean section, trying desperately to save her and her baby, after she’d spent several weeks in the hospital for pregnancy-related complications. There are multiple accounts of how Rico Ayomi, 17, died in Indonesia’s West Papua province, after 24 hours in police detention. Until there is political will in Jakarta to meaningfully investigate and prosecute the killings of Papuans by security forces or unidentified attackers, the lives of Papuans such as Rico Ayomi will remain at risk.